There is no large number of very small bads which is worse than a small number of very large bads - or so it seems plausible to say. In this talk I defend this intuition arguing that very weak claims constituted by very small bads (e.g. minor headaches, a bitter taste on the tip of your tongue) do not figure in aggregation. I argue that weak claims cannot be aggregated interpersonally to compete against a strong claim, if informed and reflective subjects aren't willing to give weight to these claims intrapersonally with regard to their own lives. Furthermore, I present empirical data which very tentatively suggests that most people do, in fact, not give weight to minor harms intrapersonally.
Department of Philosophy, Skinner Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-7505
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